Ahold Delhaize USA’s RBS arm opens new tech office

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Retail Business Services (RBS) arm has officially opened a new technology office in Quincy, Mass., that includes an innovation lab and an incubator for tech startups.

The building houses 200 IT associates that provide technology services for Ahold Delhaize USA supermarket chains, including Stop & Shop in the Boston area. The company’s other grocery retail brands include Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion, Giant Food and Hannaford, as well as online grocer Peapod.

RBS executives, local officials, and business and community leaders on Monday gathered at a grand opening event in the new Quincy office, located eight miles from Boston. The facility includes 30,000 square feet of two recently renovated floors of a building at 10 Granite St. and features open seating, collaboration areas and conference rooms with state-of-the-art video conferencing gear. In addition, the office includes a recreation room, and each floor has a kitchenette. 

RBS' Paul Scorza (right) presents a check to Quincy Chamber of Commerce's Tim Cahill as part of its sponsorship of a new tech incubator.

At the grand opening, which also included a ribbon-cutting, RBS staff demonstrated technology developed in the company’s innovation lab to create new in-store experiences and make grocery shopping more convenient for customers.

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA eyes smarter supply chain

“We’re proud to cut the ribbon on this new office and continue to be an employer of choice and a good neighbor in the Quincy community,” RBS President Roger Wheeler told attendees at the event. “Our business provides services to one of the largest grocery retail groups in the United States, and we’re rapidly growing as we support local grocery brands through a period of evolution taking place in our industry. This new space enables us to continue our trajectory of growth.”

RBS said it’s now hiring for nearly 70 IT positions at the Quincy office and its other East Coast and Chicago locations.

“We’re excited for this new space as we continue to expand our team,” said Paul Scorza, executive vice president of IT and chief information officer for Salisbury, N.C.-based RBS. “Whether it’s through our co-op program that brings college and graduate students into our innovation lab for six-month rotations, full-time hiring or partnerships with start-ups, universities and others, we’re always in the market for top talent to support our mission of creating the next generation of grocery retail.”

With the launch of the new IT office, RBS also unveiled a partnership with the Quincy Chamber of Commerce to support its Incubate Quincy 1400 (IQ1400) venture, which aims to make the city a destination for tech start-ups. Plans call for RBS to sponsor space in the incubator for two start-ups, covering a six-month period, and provide meeting and mentorship opportunities with its CIO and other innovation associates.

“We are proud to partner with Retail Business Services on this exciting initiative,” said Tim Cahill, president of the Quincy Chamber. “It will be a real boost for the emerging, tech start-up community we are developing at IQ1400 in Quincy Center.”

Along with IT, RBS provides Ahold Delhaize USA brands with services and support in merchandising, marketing, private label, store operations, pharmacy, sourcing, financial, communications, supply chain and other areas.